Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to A Colasanti.
The authors recorded pattern electroretinograms at different spatial frequencies in 16 patients affected with ocular hypertension. In 12 of these subjects the electroretinograms dropped in amplitude around 2 cycles/degree. The authors attributed this finding to ocular hypertension, hypothesizing ischemic damage at the head of the optic nerve with consequent fiber atrophy and degeneration of ganglion cells.
Some hypermetropes, when corrected with contact lenses, appear to have a much smaller AC/A ratio than when corrected with spectacle lenses. Ocular convergence measured with contact lenses is greater than that measured with spectacles. Studies were carried out to establish the cause of these effects. Theoretical considerations are compared with the experimental results obtained. This study emphasizes the importance of the different amounts of magnification induced by contact lenses as compared with spectacles.
Authors studied red blood cell filtrability by means of an original apparatus. The red blood cells were suspended in 0,9% NaCl and Teitel solutions. Teitel solution was the most usefullness in filtrability studies.
Authors studied the influence of pH changes on red blood cell deformability by means of filtration technique. In 0,9% NaCl solutions, there was decrease of RBC deformability upon both lowering and increasing of pH. In Teitel solutions, RBC deformability increased on alcalyne pH.
In this paper we report the case of an acute papillitis of the right optic nerve secundary to a mastoiditis and sinusitis of the same site in a 10-year old boy. At onset the child presented a painful movement of the ocular globe, monolateral amaurosis and papillary oedema. The exams have confirmed the correlation among mastoiditis, sinusitis and papillitis. At the same time, we were able to exclude the presence of endocranial tumours and alteration of the other side. The child underwent a steroid therapy with a complete recovery within 30 days.
A case of del(3) p25-pter syndrome in a four-year-old boy whose clinical manifestations were followed and studied since birth, is described. Diagnosis was made by means of karyotype analysis. The parental chromosomes were normal. So far, only about twenty cases of this syndrome have been described in living individuals. Comparison with previously reported cases confirms that the phenotype exhibits an identifiable pattern of malformation, consisting of pre- and postnatal growth delay, typical craniofacial dysmorphisms and limb abnormalities. No severe visceral anomalies were detected in this patient. Nevertheless, the follow-up revealed a progressive decay of the psychomotor and neurosensory functions.
A case of diffuse bronchiectasis concerning an entire lung in an eight-year-old boy is described. The disease in this case was widespread in the entire left lung and was considered as consequent to a defect in the development of the left bronchial wall. Because of the frequent respiratory infections, occurring since birth, and given the good anatomical and functional conditions of the right lung, we recommended the surgical excision of the sick lung. After one year, the operation showed good results with regard to respiratory functions. The functioning of the remaining pulmonary parenchyma is quite satisfactory and allows the boy an excellent quality of life.
In the present study we describe the case of a 11 years old child, female, who was accidentally fulgurated by the left arm and after has presented an episode of pallor, shaking, confusion, throbbing and tingle of the arms. For this reason she was admitted in our Department of Pediatrics, University of Rome "La Sapienza". The child presented also a moderate pain at the left wrist. For this reason was performed a wrist X Ray which showed an incomplete fracture of the distal extremity of the radial diaphysis, with a small ulnar infraction of the same side. Life parameters and the ECG were normal so as the blood exams, in particular the CPK and the LDH (in fact, they can be indication of muscular necrosis). In summary the Authors with this study would like to remark the necessity of to suspect a fracture in the place of admittance of the electric current, even if not immediately appear clean signs of oedema, pain and functional impotence.
We describe a case of pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) in a five years old child. Pseudotumor cerebri is a not very common syndrome in the pediatric age. The incidence rate in about 1:100.000. The prognosis of PTC is usually good. Sometimes however, PTC could be complicated by eye diseases such as reduction of visual field. Our case is a child with diplopia and with a bilateral oedema of the papilla. The diagnosis of PTC was possible after the physical examination and the instrumental exams (EEG, brain NMR and others). During the staying in the hospital the child performed a therapy with betamethasone and acetazolamide; the diplopia improved and the bilateral oedema of the papilla started to be less evident. The child was discharged in good health and with a planned ocular follow-up. We think that the Pediatrician must considered the possibility of the presence of a PTC; that is an important syndrome not only for the Neurologist.